PENN PRINTOUT
The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine

PENN PRINTOUT March 1992 - Volume 8:6

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Announcements


New academic computing support service funded

The Office of Information Systems and Computing (ISC) will develop a new unit, Academic Computing Services, to support instructional and research computing. The new central unit will be funded through the reallocation of ISC internal resources.

ISC's February 1990 vision statement "Strategic Directions for Information Systems and Computing at the University of Pennsylvania" called for the creation of an academic computing group. And in 1991, both the Research and Education subcommittees of the Information Resource Management Committee (IRMC), an advisory group to Vice Provost Peter C. Patton, strongly endorsed the creation of such a unit. The IRMC subcommittees outlined specific needs of the academic community, including:

  • strong advocacy of academic computing issues
  • coordination of site license negotiation and maintenance
  • facilitation of information/resource sharing among schools
The Academic Committee of the ISC Advisory Council, the successor to the IRMC, has created a task force to review the recommendations of the IRMC subcommittees and advise on the best way to build an effective academic computing support organization. The task force, chaired by Professor of Mathematics Jerry Kazdan, comprises faculty and the directors of the computing support centers of several schools. The campus community will be apprised of the task force's progress through Penn Printout. If you would like to provide input, please contact Donna Milici at 898-1782 or milici@a1.relay.


ISC Advisory Council launched

Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing Peter C. Patton has chartered the ISC Advisory Council to advise him on priorities, policies, and future directions. The new body replaces the Information Resource Management Committee (IRMC).

The Advisory Council comprises two committees-Academic and Administration. Professor of Physics Robert Hollebeek chairs the Academic Committee, and Susan Shaman, Director of Planning Analysis and Institutional Research, chairs the Administration Committee. The committees will advise the vice provost on issues such as the role of ISC in academic computing, access to administrative data, and future directions for PennNet.

The council welcomes reaction and direction from the Penn community. You may either call Linda May at 898-2171 or send e-mail to isc_advisory@a1.relay. Monthly agendas for the committees, membership lists, and other information can be found in PennInfo. Select "Task Forces and Committees" from the "Computing" menu.


E-mail Task Force expands vision, selects Elm

The September Printout announced formation of a task force to study the benefits and costs of universal electronic mail and bulletin board service for undergraduates. The September issue also included "Student E-mail Advances Penn's Goals," a strong call for action from Gerald Porter, Professor of Mathematics and former SAS Associate Dean for Computing.

In convening the task force, Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing Peter C. Patton promised ISC support if the four undergraduate schools could agree on a common e-mail system. In weekly meetings since then, the task force has expanded both its membership and its charter to include consideration of

  • e-mail for all graduate and professional as well as undergraduate students
  • e-mail for all faculty
  • having staff use the same e-mail software as faculty and students
ELM, a versatile product for UNIX host computers was chosen as the academic e-mail software standard. It is expected that ELM, already used in the Law School, will be available to additional administrators and faculty this spring and to students in selected schools this fall.

Three working groups are now engaged in further study of

  • support requirements for ELM and the role to be played by ISC * alternatives to ELM for those desiring more desktop-oriented software
  • the special needs of smaller schools
For further information on the E-mail Task Force, contact Linda May in the Office of Data Administration and Information Resource Planning, 898-2171 or may@a1.relay.